A new report from telecoms network technology specialists Arieso has dug deep into the demands users and handsets are placing on mobile networks, finding that of the five operating systems available today, it is Android users that consume the most data.

Using an iPhone 3G as its benchmark, the study found that iPhone 4 users consume 44% more data calls that users of Apple’s oldest iPhone device, downloading 41% more data to their handset and data use a significant amount higher on the iPhone 4 with users spending 67% more time connected to mobile networks utilising data.

Android users, however, are making more calls, spending more time connected to mobile networks and digest more network data than their iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 counterparts. Android handsets ranked highest for both “uplink data volume” and “downlink data” consumption, users of the Samsung Galaxy S are said to upload more than double the amount of data than iPhone 3G users (126% in fact), with HTC Desire users downloading 41% more.

Interestingly, Arieso found that voice calls have remained flat, pointing out that many smartphone users are using apps over making voice calls.

There are numerous possibilities as to why Android users would consume more data than Apple users but it could down to the open nature of the operating system. Apps are not subject to strict approval guidelines and therefore can offer more bandwidth intensive features, although Apple has been more generous as of late (Google Voice, for example).

Michael Flanagan, CTO of Arieso, notes:

“Smartphone subscriptions are rising and so too is subscriber appetite for mobile data. Since the launch of the iPhone3G, we’ve seen a multitude of popular new smartphones arrive on the market, successfully driving app and service usage. It’s a trend that’s set to continue. Operators must now be able to quantify the impact of the devices they support, and how subscribers use them, and prepare their networks accordingly.”